Men’s Tennis Hits the Road for Kick-Off Classic

Friday, January 28

Gainesville, FL

1:00 p.m. (EST)

Troy University

(57) North Carolina State University

Men’s Tennis Hits the Road for Kick-Off Classic

1/27/2011 10:32:58 AM | Tennis (M)

Trojans will face North Carolina State and either Florida or UC-Santa Barbara

By: Travis Jarome

Kick-Off Classic Website

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The last time the 62nd-ranked Troy University men's tennis team ventured to Gainesville to play on the University of Florida courts, they made history by playing in their first NCAA Regional. They will make history again on Friday on the same courts as they take on North Carolina State University in the first match of the 2011 ITA Kickoff Classic.

The Kickoff Classic was designed to reward the top teams from the previous year in a mini-tournament at the beginning of this season. The Trojans finished ranked 55th in the nation last season, as the other three teams all finished ranked at the end of the regular season as well. The tournament is divided up into four-team regions all over the country, with the winners of each region advancing to the Sweet 16.

However, up first for Troy (0-1) is 57th-ranked North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack will be the second consecutive ranked team from the ACC that the Trojans will face to open the season, as they fell to 27th-ranked Florida State 7-0 in the season-opener.

The Trojans lineup does not resemble the lineup they used to win the Sun Belt Conference championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament last season. They return just three players from last year, with one of those players being used as a doubles specialist.

This year, junior Branko Weber moved from number three singles to number one singles; while double specialist in 2010, sophomore Anas Rouchdi plays number two singles. The other returnee from 2010, senior Mario Rolemberg, continues to maintain the number five singles spot for the Trojans. The other spots are taken by first-year players, Sami Ghorbel (number three), Niklas Jonsson (number four) and Jamie Eccleton (number six.)

Following the match with North Carolina State, the Trojans will face either seventh-ranked Florida on their home courts or 61st-ranked UC-Santa Barbara in the final match of the regional. Each team is guaranteed two matches in the regional.

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